The present invention relates to the preparation of halogenated amines. More specifically, this invention relates to the preparation of halogenated benzylamines.
Halogenated benzylamines, such as bromobenzylamine, are used commonly in the synthesis of fine organic chemicals for use in products in the pharmaceutical, flavor and fragrance, and agricultural fields just to name a few. Halogenated benzylamines are especially useful as stating materials and intermediates given the relatively high reactivity of their halogen group functionality. For example, bromobenzylamine is particularly useful because its bromine functionality acts as a leaving group allowing complex amines to be formed. Therefore, given the desire for halogenated amines, there is a corresponding need for economic and practical methods of synthesizing these compounds. The present invention fulfills this need among others.
The present invention provides for the preparation of halogenated amines through the catalytic hydrogenation of a corresponding halogenated oxime. Although catalytic hydrogenation of oximes to form amines is well known, traditional reactions tend to be harsh and generally involve the use of highly active catalysts such as palladium. Under these conditions, traditional catalytic hydrogenation results in concurrent dehydrohalogenation and thus is generally inapplicable to the preparation of halogenated amines.
It has been found surprising, however, that using a catalyst based on either noble metals other than palladium or base metals minimizes dehydrohalogenation. Despite being generally less reactive than palladium, these catalysts nevertheless effect commercially-acceptable reaction rates and high yields. Moreover, it has been found that suitable results are obtained under mild, ambient reaction conditions. Such mild conditions not only help to minimize dehydrohalogenation, but also make hydrogenation of the halogenated oxime relatively convenient.
It also has been found surprisingly that the catalyst is reusable in subsequent hydrogenation reactions. Indeed, the effectiveness of the catalyst tends to improve with reuse until reaching a steady state condition.
Accordingly, the present invention provides for a highly-effective, low cost, simple and convenient approach for preparing a wide variety of halogenated amines.
One aspect of the present invention is a method of preparing a halogenated amine using a catalyst based on a suitable non-palladium noble metal or a base metal. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises hydrogenating a halogenated oxime in the presence of a suitable non-palladium noble metal-based catalyst or base metal-based catalyst and under conditions sufficient to produce a halogenated primary amine.
The catalyst should be adequate to promote the reaction, however, it should not be so active as to break the halogen/carbon bond. It has been found that catalysts comprising a suitable non-palladium nobel metal or a base metal are suitable to effect such a reaction. Preferred non-palladium nobel metals include, for example, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, platinum, oxides thereof, and combinations of two or more thereof. Preferred base metals include, for example, nickel, cobalt, oxides thereof, and combinations of two or more thereof. More preferably, the catalyst comprises platinum and/or rhodium including alloys therewith or oxides thereof. Even more preferably, the catalyst comprises platinum and/or oxides thereof.
The non-palladium nobel metal and/or a base metal may be used as a catalyst in its pure form, for example, as a wire, although preferably it is deposited on a conventional support. The amount of metal deposited on the support may vary, and suitable results are achievable with a catalyst comprising about 1 to about 10% metal by weight, and, preferably, about 5% by weight.
The material used for the support can vary and are readily-determinable by one skilled in the art. Preferred materials include, for example, charcoal, aluminum, and the like. Preferably, the support is charcoal. Suitable forms of the support include, for example, powders, granules and pellets. Preferably, the catalyst comprises a readily-filterable form, such as, powder.
Suitable commercially-available catalysts are available from Engelhard Corporation (Beachwood, Ohio) as product nos. 781A-15-1 and 781A-15-6-1; and from Johnson Matthey (West Deptford, N.J.) as product nos. B21142-1.5, B21137-3, B21101-5, B21159-5, B21142-5, C21190-5 and C21108-5
Loading of the catalyst in the reaction can be determined readily by one skilled in the art. Generally, a concentration of catalyst metal to starting material of about 0.1 to about 10 wt. % is preferred, and a concentration of about 0.5 to about 4 wt. % is more preferred. At concentrations below 0.5 wt. %, reaction rates tend not to be commercially viable while, at concentrations above 4 wt. %, the amount of catalyst used becomes prohibitively expensive and filtering thereof becomes significant.
The hydrogenation is conducted under conditions sufficient to react a halogenated oxime with hydrogen to produce a halogenated amine. Such conditions are readily achievable since it has been found that the reaction occurs at a sufficient rate and with sufficient selectivity at ambient conditions. Specifically, the reaction may be conducted at or near atmospheric pressure and at about room temperature. Although ambient conditions are preferred from a convenience standpoint, conducting the reaction over a wide range of pressures and temperatures, for example, from about 1 to about 10 atm and from about 5 to about 100xc2x0 C., is within the scope of invention.
The hydrogen may be supplied to the reaction in any known manner. For example, the reaction mixture may be sparged or blanketed with hydrogen. In any event, the supply of hydrogen should be sufficient to sustain the reaction. It has been found that supplying the hydrogen to the reaction at a pressure of about 1 to about 10 atm.
To improve the selectivity of the reaction, an anhydrous environment is preferred. More specifically, it has been found that water in the reaction mixture tends to result in the formation of secondary and tertiary amines which are undesirable. Accordingly, it is preferred that efforts be taken to establish a substantially anhydrous environment. The term xe2x80x9csubstantially anhydrousxe2x80x9d as used herein means that the reaction mixture contains less than about 0.1 wt. % water and preferably contains less than about 0.05 wt. % water. To this end, it is preferred to use an organic solvent. Suitable organic solvents include, for example: alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, and isopropanol; acidic solvents such as acetic acid and propionic acid; and anhydride solvents such as acetic anhydride. In a preferred embodiment, the organic solvent is an alcohol, more preferably, ethanol.
In addition to using an organic solvent to provide for a substantially anhydrous reaction mixture, it may be necessary to xe2x80x9cdryxe2x80x9d the catalyst. That is, suitable catalysts are typically available in the form of a wet paste to minimize the risk of fire/explosion. This paste typically contains from about 30 to about 60% by weight water. To dry the catalyst paste, it is preferred to perform a solvent exchange with the water. Solvent exchange is a well-known process and may be performed using an organic solvent as described above.
To render the amine stable and to prevent it from contaminating or xe2x80x9cpoisoningxe2x80x9d the catalyst, it is generally preferred to combine it with another substance. Although one skilled in the art can identify a variety of ways of combining the amine with another substance to stabilize it, forming a salt with a mineral acid is preferred such that its interaction with the catalyst is minimized. For handling convenience, it is generally preferred to maintain the halogenated amine in its combined form to avoid oxidation in air. For example, as a salt, the halogenated amine is a stable solid as opposed to a less-stable liquid in its pure form. Unless otherwise indicated the term xe2x80x9chalogenated aminexe2x80x9d as used herein refer both to the halogenated amine""s pure and combined forms.
It has been found that under the reaction conditions of the present invention, ferrous-containing reactors undergo significant corrosion which tends to deactivate the catalysts used. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, the reaction is conducted in a non-ferrous or low-ferrous content reactor. Suitable reactors include, for example, glass/glass-lined vessels, Teflon/Teflon-lined vessels, and Hastelloy C vessels.
Recovery of the halogenated amine (or a salt thereof as described above) from the reaction mixture is relatively straightforward and involves known techniques, such as crystallization and filtration. Preferably, after hydrogenation, the reaction mixture is filtered to remove the catalyst (which is reusable as described below) and then the halogenated amine is isolated through crystallization. Crystallization is well known in the art and involves concentrating the solution containing the halogenated amine to precipitate it in its combined form. The mother liquor from one such crystallization step then may be subjected to additional crystallization steps to extract nearly all of the halogenated amine from the reaction mixture.
Another important benefit of the present invention is the ability to reuse the catalyst. Indeed, it has been found that the catalyst not only is reusable, but also improves with use until reaching a steady state. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, after the catalyst is separated from the reaction mixture, it is cleated by washing with a non-aqueous solvent, for example, an organic solvent as mentioned above, and reused.
In a preferred embodiment, the synthesis method of the present invention is used in hydrogenating a halogenated oxime having a formula:

to form a halogenated amine having the formula:

wherein:
R and Rxe2x80x2 are independently selected from hydrogen, unsubstituted or substituted aliphatic radicals, or an unsubstituted or substituted aromatic radicals, providing that R or Rxe2x80x2 comprises at least one halogen.
In Formulas (1) and (2), R and Rxe2x80x2 preferably are selected independently from hydrogen, unsubstituted or substituted C6-C15 aromatic radicals, unsubstituted or substituted C1-C10 aliphatic radicals, or unsubstituted or substituted C3-C10 alicyclic radicals. More preferably, R and Rxe2x80x2 preferably are selected independently from hydrogen, unsubstituted or substituted C1-C10 alkyls, unsubstituted or substituted C3-C8 cycloalkyls, unsubstituted or substituted 3-6 ring member heterocyclic radicals, unsubstituted or substituted C6-C15 aryls, or unsubstituted or substituted C7-C11 aralkyls. Examples of substituents include halides, C1-C6 alkyls, C1-C6 halogenated alkyls, C6-C15 aryls, C1-C6 alkoxys, aminos (primary and secondary), amidos, sulfonates, and hydroxyls.
As a C6-C15 aryl, R and Rxe2x80x2 may be, for example, phenyl, o-tolyl, m-tolyl, p-tolyl, o-xylyl, m-xylyl, p-xylyl, alpha-naphthyl or beta-naphthyl. In a preferred class of aryls, R and Rxe2x80x2 are selected from C6-C8 aryls or C12-C14 aryls, and, more preferably, C6-C8 aryls. Any of these groups may contain one or more substituents such as, for example, halides, sulfonates, C1-C4 alkyls, and C1-C4 alkoxys.
As C7-C13 aralkyl, R and Rxe2x80x2 may be, for example, benzyl, 4-methylbenzyl, o-methoxybenzyl, p-methoxybenzyl, diphenylmethyl, 2-phenylethyl, 2-phenylpropyl or 3-phenylpropyl, preferably C7-C9 aralkyl, especially benzyl. As with the alkyls, these groups may contain one or more substituents such as halides, sulfonates, C1-C4 alkyls, C1-C4 alkoxys to form such compounds as para-toluenesulfonic acid (tosylate) and bromobenzenesulfonic acid.
As a C1-C10 alkyl, R and Rxe2x80x2 may be, for example, straight-chain or branched molecules, for example, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, n-pentyl, neopentyl, n-hexyl, n-heptyl, n-octyl, or 2-ethylhexyl. In a preferred class of alkyls, R and Rxe2x80x2 are selected from C1-C4 alkyls. In another preferred class of alkyls, R and Rxe2x80x2 are branched alkyls, preferably C2-C6 branched alkyls, especially isobutyl. These groups may comprise one or more substituents selected from halogens or C1-C4 alkoxys, especially methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, isopropoxy, n-butoxy, methanesulphonyl, bromine, chlorine or fluorine to form such substituted alkyl groups as methoxymethyl, 2-methoxyethyl, 2-ethoxymethyl, 2-n-butoxyethyl, 3-methoxypropyl, 1-methoxybutyl, 2-methoxybutyl, methanesulphonylmethyl, 2-methanesulphonylethyl, 2-fluoroethyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, trichloromethyl, 2-chloroethyl, 2-(chloromethyl)ethyl, 2,2,2-trichloroethyl, 2-chloro-n-propyl, methanesulfonic acid, or 3-chloro-n-butyl.
As a C3-C8 cycloalkyl, R and xe2x80x2 may be, for example, cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl, methylcyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, methylcyclohexyl, dimethylcyclohexyl, cycloheptyl or cyclooctyl, preferably cyclohexyl. In a preferred class of cycloalkyl, R and Rxe2x80x2 are selected from C5-C7 cycloalkyls, and, more preferably, a cyclohexyl. Any of these groups may be substituted with, for example methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, isopropoxy, n-butoxy, chlorine, bromine or
As a 3-6 member heterocyclic radical, R and Rxe2x80x2 may include any known heterocylic atom such as nitrogen and oxygen. Suitable heterocycles include, for example, pyridine, pyran, pyrrole, and furan.
Particularly preferred combinations of Rs are listed in Table 1 below.
In a highly preferred embodiment, one Rxe2x80x2 is hydrogen and R is a halogenated aromatic, preferably, phenyl, thereby simplifying Formulas (1) and (2) to formulas (3) and (4), respectively, below:

wherein each Rxe2x80x3 is independently selected from hydrogen or a substituent such as a halogen, C1-C3 alkyl, or C1-C3 haloalkyl providing that at least one Rxe2x80x3 comprises at least one halogen.
Even more preferably, one to three Rxe2x80x3s are selected from either bromine or fluorine and the remainder are hydrogen. Examples of highly preferred halogenated benzylamines include 4-bromobenzylamine and 4-bromo-2-fluorobenzylamine.
In a preferred embodiment, the above-identified oxime starting material may be prepared by oximating its corresponding aldehyde. Such an oximation reaction is known in the art.
In another preferred embodiment, the synthesis method of the present invention is used in hydrogenating a cyclic oxime having a formula: 
to form a halogenated amine having the formula: 
wherein:
n in an integer no less than 2; and
each of X and Xxe2x80x2 is independently selected from hydrogen, a halogen, or groups as described above with respect to R and Rxe2x80x2 in Formulas (1) and (2),
providing that the ring comprises at least one halogen or a substituent having at least one halogen.
Preferably, n ranges from 2 to 15, and, more preferably from 3 to 10. It is noteworthy to mention that, since n is greater than 1, a plurality of X and Xxe2x80x2 groups result. Nevertheless, each X and Xxe2x80x2 is independently selected, such that, for example, various Xs may differ within the same molecule. Particularly preferred ring structures include, for example, 3-chlorocyclohexyl, 2-bromo-9-fluorenyl, 3-chloro-2-norbornanyl, 5-bromo-1-indanyl, 2,7-dibromo-9-fluorenyl, 10,11-dibromodibenzosuberanyl, and 6-bromo- 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthyl.
According to the hydrogenation reaction of the present invention, halogenated amines can be obtained in high yield and with high selectivity. For example, in the preparation of 4-bromobenzylamine, the yield is no less than about 70% and, preferably, no less than about 85%, while the selectivity is no less than about 80%, and preferably, no less than about 90%.
The following examples are illustrative of the practice of the present invention.